Relationship between Body Weight and Food and Water Intake in Trichinella spiralis-Infected Guinea Pigs

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Abstract
Guinea pigB were studied during a 28-day period follow-ing a single oral dose of Trichinella spiralis larvae to obtain informa-tion on the lethality of T. spiralis for this host and the effect of in-fection on body weight and food and water consumption. Survival time in guinea pigs administered graded doses of 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30,000 larvae followed a dose-dependent pattern, decreasing as the dose increased. The oral LD50 for a 28-day infection was calculated as 49[plus or minus]2 larvae per gram of body weight. Marked signs as-sociated with trichinosis in the guinea pig were diarrhea, a reduction in weight gain, and reduced food and water consumption. Other signs were a roughness of the coat, inflammation around the eyes and reduced activity. The rate of weight gain for infected guinea pies was inversely related to the size of the initial dose and was significantly lower than that for un-infected controls. Food and water intake studies showed that when uninfected and infected guinea pigs were given food and water ad libitum, the uninfected animals consumed greater daily amounts of food and water than animals infected with 10,000 larvae; this higher food consumption was associated with an increased rate of weight gain; uninfected guinea pigs maintained on a diet restricted to that consumed by paired infected animals showed a higher rate of weight gain than the infected guinea pigs.